Tom Bradley: Why He'll Never Be a Winner as Long as He's with Penn State

Amidst the recent wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal at Penn State University, Tom Bradley moved into the interim head coach position, but perhaps under the worst of circumstances.

It has always been Bradley's goal to become the head coach at Penn State, but given the recent unraveling of the Sandusky incidents, Bradley may forever be known as the man who succeeded Joe Paterno just a little too soon.

It is one thing to step into the head coaching spotlight and establish an identity for yourself in college football, and although Bradley has been an assistant coach since 1980—picking Paterno's brain in the meantime—it is something completely different to begin a head coaching career in this manner.

From 2000 up until Nov. 9, 2011, Bradley served as the Nittany Lions' defensive coordinator, consistently putting up one of the top defensive units in the country.

But despite his recent run of success, there is an incredible need for the Penn State program to start fresh.

That is not to say that Bradley may go on to be a fantastic head coach, it is simply the nature of the beast that has become the tarnished reputation of the University.

It is not so much a problem with Bradley as it is the discontentment with the way Paterno was let go.

JoePa had been the face of Penn State football for decades. For Bradley to follow in his footsteps while the Penn State faithful are consternated by the Sandusky news is unfair to both the University and Bradley.

No matter what Bradley does in the near future, any success inevitably will come with a strange grain of salt.

It is a complex situation from either side of the equation:

For Bradley, he takes over a Penn State program that is rattled with anxiety and uncertainty. It will be challenging for him to balance the expectations and emotions of a passionate fan base and his football team.

For the administration, does it purge the football program to get a fresh start? What kind of message would that send?

Unfortunately for Bradley, he is stuck between a rock and a hard place, where scrutiny and expectations will run rampant.